Tips for the parks with a 5 year old with Autism

[piglets pal]

Hi All

I’ve not checked in on here for a number of years,
We are seasoned Disney World fans and travel each year using our DVC membership but this year we have 2 families travelling together with my nephew who will be 5 . He has a diagnosis of Autism and I want them all to have the best time ever .
We are staying at Saratoga Springs and Grand Floridian.
If you have travelled with a child who needs a bit of extra support and consideration what are your top tips ?
He will use a buggy as needed , he will have ear defenders and I have read the DAS card and that sounds ideal so he doesn’t have to wait in line .
One of his biggest issue is food as he will only eat wet food and not snacks . Like pasta bolognaise yoghurts etc and no crisps or biscuits .
Thanks for any information . I really want his parents 6 year old brother and him to have a magical holiday

[mandco]

Plan ahead
work out what he can go on & show him videos before you go so he has time to process. Show him videos of whatever you can the hotel your staying at, disney parks in general, boarding the plane ect so its not so overwhelming and unexpected.

Work out what might trigger a meltdown and see if there is anything you can adjust to help prevent it- if crowds are likely to be an issue plan to view the parade/fireworks from further back rather than the main area for example or get one adult to take him through the no bag lane while someone else does bag check.

Don't force the meet & greets and if he wants to do it let them know he has autism and they will adjust the interaction- ds won't hug the character he stands off to one side

Don't expect to do full days & plan for lots of breaks between activities.We did a couple of hours in a park back to the hotel for a rest then back to a park later on. If he needs a break then find a quiet spot and take a break even if that means some of you miss a fast pass - check out the options for parent swap in case this happens. If you have a busy day planned and can not really break it up then plan for a quieter one the next day.
We did later starts as ds copes better when he wakes naturally rather than being woken and trying to rush him or force him to do something just causes a meltdown and prolongs things anyway.

Das is helpful and can reduce the actual physical queue time alot compared to standby but you do still have to wait a bit as you return via the fastpass lane- queues usually move fairly quickly but something to be aware of

check out menus before you go to find the places that do have something he will eat and take some snacks to the park with you- nothing worse than trying to find somewhere with a tired hungry child in tow. We have the dining plan but I usually do a small grocery shop for a few extras I know ds will def eat.

Take his favourite sensory toys(and extras spares in case you lose one)to help him calm down/relax while out and about. ds has a sensory bag at home that goes everywhere with us so I use a smaller version for florida- usually has a small fleece and 1/2 favourite toys/activities in.

get a decent fan for the pushchair and one of those sunshades that covers it completely - them being able to hide away when it gets too much can be lifesaver

You do have to compromise on some things and do whats going to be best for them rather than what you really want to do but it does make things a lot more enjoyable for everyone.

[Gryff]

Disney have introduced in a couple of parks don't know if it's just a trial DAS card help stations under big blue umbarellas we noticed them in MK and HS where you can go to get a return time for a ride without actually going to the ride only one or two i each park though might save a melt down
They seemed to move though
Check out Autism at the parks blog it's a mine of information
Have you thought about a grocery delivery somyou have something he will eat and a small cool bag for the parks to carry yogurt etc

[MillyMoo]

We are going in November and although itll be pur 5th time, it's the 1st time taking our 6yr old who has asd and spd.
We are taking her pushchair, although she looks big in it I think itll help her when things become too much - she gets overwhelmed. I've said she can get in and out whenever she wants to, she will have her ear defenders and her comforters in there, with the hood up it should be enough to just take her away from everything for a bit.
We have a small cool bag for snacks and hits and pieces aswell.

This time we are going with a different attitude too. I have said we cant just get up and hit the parks like we used to because she would never cope and it would make everything quite miserable - nobody wants that! So hopefully a laid back approach combined with das, planning, and the buggy, will work! 🤞

[Megandllsmum]

My youngest has ASD and was five first time we went to florida, was also her first time on a plane, start off with explaining what will happen at airport, get a sunflower lanyard which will discreetly make you known to staff who will offer assistance when and where needed, there are videos online showing what to expect at airport, we have a system that I go through scanner first, then lilly then we both wait at other side and laugh at daddy cos he sets scanners off every time. You can access fast track security for free with lanyard. Plenty of stuff to keep them occupied on flight, sweets, drinks, little toys, colouring stuff and we usually pick a couple of magazines at airport, stuff to read and to and tut on the front to play with lol. Once on your holidays Definately access DAS or other parks similar passes as its really helpful, we found with fastpass bookings it worked a dream for us. Be prepared to go at your child's pace, it's nice to stop and check your surroundings have a drink or ice cream and people watch for a bit. Only issue we really had was food halls being crowded and having to wait for food, after a day or two we noticed most people ate later in an evening so we ate around 5pm which to be fair is similar to what we did at home.

[piglets pal]

Thanks so much for the replies , much appreciated, I’ve always been a planner on our own holidays but completely different when taking into account this wee guys additional needs.